Are You Owning Your Story? with Mary Marantz   0:56 It's Time for a New Christmas Tradition! 10:24 From Trailer Life to Yale Law School with Mary Marantz 23:00 Can You Answer These Three Questions About Yourself? Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/3mxoa3T Christy's 5-Day Confidence Boost Sign up for Christy's free 5-Day Confidence Boost. You'll receive five days of encouragement focused on helping you become a more confident you! https://bit.ly/3fZh71w We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   Merry Christmas! This time each year we celebrate and remember one of the greatest stories ever told. So, today, we're going to talk about the importance of your story. My new friend Mary Marantz joins us to talk about her story and how she's using it to help others (and how you can too). And then we'll take some time to pause, reflect and journal. Let's dive in!   It's Time for a New Christmas Tradition! We all have Christmas traditions. My husband and I have this Christmas tradition where we write a letter of everything that happened during the year-major events, prayers, goals and dreams. We pack up the letters with our ornaments, then read them the following year when we open our boxes to decorate again. It's always amazing to see just how much can happen in one year's time. But when you're writing a letter like this, you don't know what the next year will hold. Your perspective is so limited from where you're sitting. You might feel like there are pieces of your story that have no purpose. But what I love is that God works all things together for your good-even the hard things. Even those wilderness seasons where you're wondering if God has forgotten you. God can even use those for your good.   From Trailer Life to Yale Law School with Mary Marantz I'm so excited because my new friend Mary Marantz is joining us to talk about her new book, Dirt: Growing Strong Roots in What Makes the Broken Beautiful. Mary is a podcaster, author and speaker, and she has an incredible story that I know you'll love. Mary and I talk about running from failure (and stumbling into success), speaking life over yourself and others, and the beauty and importance of our stories.   Can You Answer These Three Questions About Yourself? "'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.' Then the angel left her." - Luke 1:38 (NIV) This verse is such a great reminder for you and me. God can speak to us in ways that seem crazy, impractical, illogical or impossible. But when God gives you a dream or prompts you to go in a certain direction, you can still faithfully and obediently say, "You're God, and I'm not. And I trust what you're doing in my life, even though it doesn't make sense to me right now, and even though I might not like it." So, I want to give you some journal questions to process as you think about what this means for your life and where you are right now-especially in this Christmas season. Where do you sense God leading you right now? How have you felt about your own personal story in the past? Where have you seen God's faithfulness in your story?

How to Find Restoration This Year With Lecrae   0:51 Feeling Lost and Broken? Watch This. 9:33 Why You're Never Too Messed Up for a Restoration with Lecrae 25:30 What Healing Do You Need? Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/3fBB6TN Christy's 5-Day Confidence Boost Sign up for Christy's free 5-Day Confidence Boost. You'll receive five days of encouragement focused on helping you become a more confident you! https://bit.ly/39dOsoi We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   This year has left so many people hopeless and wondering if things will ever change. So, today on the show, we're talking about how we can have hope that things can change, even if it feels impossible. Then, I'm so excited because bestselling author, rapper, recording artist and businessman Lecrae is joining us to talk about restoration. Finally, we'll take some time to pray and journal. It's going to be so good!   Feeling Lost and Broken? Watch This. Our God is a God who restores. He cares about the big things and the small things and everything in between. There have been so many times when God's displayed that in my life. Let me give you an example: When I was 23 years old, I moved to this little house that backed up to the Harpeth River. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to get a canoe, and my mom had a friend who owned a canoe company. So, I got an old, beat up yellow canoe that didn't have seats and even had some holes in the bottom, and it was perfect. I fixed it up and enjoyed it the entire summer. One day, I was so exhausted after canoeing that I decided not to pull the canoe all the way up the hill into my backyard and just flipped it over on the hillside. When I came out the next day, it was gone. Someone had stolen it. I felt so guilty for leaving it outside the fence and told myself I didn't deserve another canoe. But a year and a half later, I moved to another house surrounded by the same river and decided it was time for another canoe. I asked my mom to call her friend again, and a few days later she pulled down the old gravel drive of my farmhouse with the same yellow canoe. I couldn't believe it. Turns out, someone had stolen the canoe, and the store owner's wife saw it propped up on someone's porch. Listen: God cares. So, if you're questioning if God sees you, if He cares about you, or if He cares about the little things . . . He does.   Why You're Never Too Messed Up for a Restoration with Lecrae Y'all, I'm so excited because I get to sit down with bestselling author, rapper, recording artist and businessman Lecrae to discuss the work he's doing with his brand-new album and book. We cover a lot of ground, but here are some highlights: Reigniting hope during hard times Separating your identity from your circumstances Finding restoration despite brokenness   What Healing Do You Need? "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 5:1-11 (NIV) I love this promise and reminder that God knows everything and can do anything. If God said it, He will do it. He doesn't make broken promises. He can and will restore you when you trust Him with your deepest wounds and brokenness. He will make you steadfast and strong. Take some time to pray and write down the answers to these questions: Where do you need God to restore something in your life? What have you given up on in your...

What Your Money Habits Say About You   0:53 Why Learning About Money Is So Important 8:05 The Secret to Understanding Money with Rachel Cruze 27:49 Why You Should Be Asking God for Wisdom Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/3mfo3Kt Christy's 5-Day Confidence Boost Sign up for Christy's free 5-Day Confidence Boost. You'll receive five days of encouragement focused on helping you become a more confident you! https://bit.ly/3nKRGUa We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   There's something that you need to do and you may not even realize it: Learn how to manage your money. That's right, today my good friend and New York Times bestselling author Rachel Cruze is joining me to talk about all things money and her new book, Know Yourself, Know Your Money. Then we'll dive into Scripture and spend some time journaling.   Why Learning About Money Is So Important So many of us never learned how to manage money growing up. And if you never learned how to manage money growing up, then you don't know how to manage your money now. You might be living paycheck to paycheck, barely getting by, and trying to pay your bills. You might be dreading those bills coming to your mailbox or inbox and struggling to keep your head above water. And you might just think, This is as good as it gets. There's more for you than just getting by. You can learn how to manage your money. You can learn how to live on less than you make so you can actually have some money. The trick to having money isn't just to make more money-it's spending less money. And that's hard, but when you learn about it, you can do it. You'll feel more powerful, more in control, more proud of yourself and more hopeful about the future because you realize that the person in control of that future is you.   The Secret to Understanding Money with Rachel Cruze My good friend and bestselling author Rachel Cruze is joining us on the show today to talk about her new book, Know Yourself, Know Your Money. Y'all, this isn't just another money book (although it will help you in that area too). It's all about the "why" of why you handle money the way you do. In her book, Rachel helps you really dig into your spending habits and values.   Why You Should Be Asking God for Wisdom "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." - James 1:5 (NIV) You and I are so good at trying to fix things ourselves, aren't we?  Oftentimes, when I face a problem in my life, I immediately go into problem-solving mode. And time after time, I run into dead ends and keep coming up empty-handed. After days or weeks of this, I'll have an epiphany: Why don't I ask God about this? I'm so quick to try to pull myself up by my bootstraps and fix everything. And sometimes that works out for me, but a lot of times it doesn't. Here's the reality: If you're in a place where you're struggling financially or in any area of your life, there are things that you can do to fix it. But you also can seek wisdom and ask God (who gives generously without finding fault) to meet you there. He will provide for you. He will provide information, resources, steps. He will provide discipline. And if you need it, He will provide discernment and correction. I have a few journal questions to help you process and pray through this: In what area of your life do you need wisdom and help right now? What do you wish was different about your financial situation? What are you going to do to learn...

How to Have the Best Christmas   0:45 What People Really Want This Christmas 7:59 Always Running Out of Time? This Is Why. 17:07 Why Slowing Down Is So Important Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/2UEwRgM Christy's 5-Day Confidence Boost Sign up for Christy's free 5-Day Confidence Boost. You'll receive five days of encouragement focused on helping you become a more confident you! https://bit.ly/2UAMpC0 We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   The very best gift that you can give others and yourself this Christmas is your presence, your attention and your eye contact. So, today on the show, I'm talking about one of the biggest distractions we all struggle with: our phones. Then, I want to unpack some wisdom from John Mark Comer's book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Finally, I'll leave you with a few questions that will help you really apply this to your lives. Let's jump in.   What People Really Want This Christmas Every single human being has a need to feel seen. That's why the very best gift you can give others and yourself this Christmas is simply your presence, your attention and your eye contact. And let's be honest. We all struggle with how much time we spend on our phones. It steals our moments and our ability to be present for the people who matter the most. When you start intentionally putting your phone down and engaging the person in front of you, you start to realize the gift is not just for the other person-it's a gift for you as well. If you want a great Christmas, you have to show up for it and actually experience it yourself. Believe me: You won't be disappointed.   Always Running Out of Time? This Is Why. I've been reading an incredible book by John Mark Comer called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. In the book, John talks about the impact our technology is having on our lives and even our attention spans. So, I want to share some of that research with you: In the year 2000, before the digital revolution, our attention span was 12 seconds. It has dropped to eight seconds, to put things in perspective. A goldfish has an attention span of nine seconds. Yeah-we're losing to goldfish. If we can understand the dangerous, addictive nature of technology, screens, apps and notifications, we can guard against it. We can put boundaries and guardrails around our use of technology to help us focus on what matters most. So, if your phone isn't the most important thing in your life, then stop acting like it is. Stop giving it that much of your attention, your eye contact, your energy and your time. What if you just let yourself live in the moment and experience things in real time? What if you looked up, made eye contact, and were actually present for the people and the moments that mattered the most to you? I think, if you'd do that, you'd completely change how you experience your own life.   Why Slowing Down Is So Important "Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10 (NIV) A lot of us have this inner drive-this pull-to be everything to everyone. And if I'm honest, a lot of my hurry and rushing and activity and need to do all the things all the time for all the people comes from this deeper need to be the hero and to save the day. I have this Mother Teresa complex. Like, Well, if I don't do it, who will? If I don't do it, it won't get done. As if, somehow, the world hangs on my shoulders (which is laughable). We're busy, we're burned out, and we're running ragged. We're running ourselves to the ground. This verse doesn't ask...

How to "Deal" With Your In-Laws   0:53 Five Rules to Have the Best Relationship With Your In-laws 15:46 Why Relationships Are So Hard with John Delony 42:07 Let's Talk About Your In-Laws Resources Christy's 5-Day Confidence Boost Sign up for Christy's free 5-Day Confidence Boost. You'll receive five days of encouragement focused on helping you become a more confident you! https://bit.ly/3njJgTC Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/2IxPW12 We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   Today, we're talking about how to "deal" with your in-laws so you can have the best relationship possible. I'm so excited because my friend (and fellow Ramsey Personality) Dr. John Delony joins us to talk about navigating relationships in our lives. Then, we'll spend some time journaling about what we can do to apply this truth to our lives.   5 Rules to Have the Best Relationship With Your In-laws There's one particular relationship that research shows is the hardest of all: the relationship between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. I've even done some reading on this because I'm asked about it so much. People really struggle with their relationship with their in-laws. That's why I worked with my own mother-in-law to come up with five rules for improving your relationship. If both people do this, the relationship will improve: Appreciate everything. Invest in the relationship. Communicate. Be confident. Put yourself in their shoes.   Why Relationships Are So Hard with John Delony I'm so excited because Dr. John Delony joins us in studio to talk about navigating our relationships with our in-laws. Y'all, this is good stuff. We cover everything from marriage and setting boundaries to learning how to communicate well so we can have the best relationships possible. I hope you lean in and take away some great tips that will help you navigate and pour into the relationships in your own life.   Let's Talk About Your In-Laws "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV) How many things would be solved if we just loved each other? How many things would be easier if we just thought of how we could show love? It's so easy to get frustrated with family and take them for granted, but family's also a sacred relationship and a role that no one else gets to fill. That's why it's on us to lead the relationship. Don't sit back and take a passive approach. We have an opportunity to love first. So, I've got a few questions for you as you process this and think about how to apply it to your own life: What are 10 things you're grateful for about your in-laws? What's one healthy boundary you want to set and communicate with your in-laws? What's one way you're going to show love to your in-laws this week?

The Key to Knowing Where You're Going: Getting Back to You Part 4   0:55 Why You Should Get Your Hopes Up About the Future 9:52 Is Fear Holding You Back with Patsy Clairmont 39:44 Stop Guarding Your Heart Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/2I4LAif We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   We're continuing our journey to get back to you today with Part 4: Knowing Where You're Going. We're going to dive into what God says about your future. Then the always amazing and hilarious Patsy Clairmont joins us to share her valuable wisdom. Finally, we'll take some time to journal and work through what this means for our lives. Let's go!   Why You Should Get Your Hopes Up About the Future "You don't have to guard your heart with me." That's what God told me one Sunday morning in church as I kept trying to push back something I wanted so badly. It felt selfish, and it felt greedy. So, I kept pushing it away. And there, as I was worshiping in church, I felt this gentle whisper: "Get your hopes up? I'm the God of hope." In the middle of that moment, I was truly transformed. And it wasn't about getting what I wanted. It was about understanding how God feels about me, my heart and my desires. So, get your hopes up. He created your heart. He knows what to do with every desire He's given you. And He knows what to do with every broken piece when you're disappointed. He's the God of hope. There's something so powerful that happens when you own your desires, open your heart, and are honest with God about who you are and what you want.   Is Fear Holding You Back with Patsy Clairmont I'm so excited because today, I'm sitting down with one of my favorite authors, speakers, and Bible teachers, Patsy Clairmont. I love her, and I know you will too. Patsy and I covered a lot of ground, but here are some highlights: Getting our hopes up with God Owning your disappointment Being obedient in the small things   Stop Guarding Your Heart "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13 (NIV) Our God is a God of hope. Of course, we should get our hopes up because our hope isn't in ourselves. It's not in our circumstances or our situation. Our hope is in God, who is the God of hope. You don't have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You don't have to be a good Christian, check all the boxes, or do your Bible study every day for God to meet you where you are and fill you with hope. You and I have every reason to get our hopes up because our God is the God of hope. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can actually overflow with hope. Take some time to sit and pray and answer these questions: How have you been guarding your heart from God? What dreams and desires do you have right now? Write down a prayer of trust and faith and hope and give those desires to God.

The Key to Navigating Tough Seasons: Getting Back to You Part 3   0:49 Are You Letting THIS Define Who You Are? 9:46 How to Get Through Hard Seasons With Lisa Harper 39:44 Are You in a Tough Season? Watch This. Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/34vLPeG We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   Your life is marked not just by seasons, but by different aspects of your life in a particular season. Today, we're talking about where you are in your current season of life. My good friend, hilarious storyteller, and brilliant bible teacher Lisa Harper joins us to talk about gaining perspective from the season you're in. Then we'll dig a little bit deeper with some journal questions.   Are You Letting THIS Define Who You Are? Your life is marked not just by seasons, but by different aspects of your life in a particular season. Our lives happen in the blink of an eye. And the season we're in-whether it's an awesome season or a really hard season, or one that we're loving or we're ready to get out of-is just a season. It might feel like it defines you. It might feel like it's going to be forever. But it doesn't, and it's not. I don't know what season you're in, but I'm here to remind you that you're so much more than the season that you're in. Your identity is not calculated by the season or your circumstances in your life. And when you remember that, refocus on that, and build your life on that truth, you actually can find strength and grace to get through it.   How to Get Through Hard Seasons With Lisa Harper I'm so excited because one of my favorite people in the world, Lisa Harper, is joining us. Lisa is an author, brilliant Bible teacher, and hilarious storyteller. Lisa and I dive into the topic of seasons and how to know where you are without losing your identity. We cover a lot of ground, but here are the highlights: You're not the season you're in. You can find strength to get through hard seasons. In the economy of God, pain is usually a promotion.   Are You in a Tough Season? Watch This. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." -Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) There's a time for everything. There's a time to start something and a time to end. There's a time for every season under the heavens. So I want to ask you a few questions to help you process where you are in your season: What season are you in right now? How would you describe it? How does it feel? Where do you need discernment right now? How do you help yourself remember that you're not the season you're in?

The Key to Knowing Who You Are: Getting Back to You Part 2   0:46 Why You're Not Who You Think You Are 8:17 Are You Struggling to Be Yourself? With Jamie Ivey 29:48 What God Wishes You Knew Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouBetween endless errands and an overwhelming schedule, it's easy to feel like you've lost yourself. That's why I wrote my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, to help you break through the busyness of life and find confidence in the woman you were created to be. Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/2TGoaSC We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   I want to be true to me. And I want you to live true to you as well. So, today, we're talking about how to live true to you. Jamie Ivey, my good friend and bestselling author, joins us to talk about her new book, You Be You. Then, we'll open up our journals and dive into what it really means to be loved and live true to ourselves.   Why You're Not Who You Think You Are It's so important for us to get to the root of our identity to know who we truly are. But so often, we look to others to tell us who we are. We look at the world around us and look at our roles and responsibilities and titles to find our sense of identity. But as wonderful as some of those roles and responsibilities and relationships are, they do not define you. The world can never tell you who you are. There's only one place that you can find the true source of your identity. We can't live a life true to ourselves if we don't first look to the one who gave us life to begin with. You're so much more than those roles and responsibilities. Sure, those things are wonderful blessings in your life, but they're not everything. They don't define you, and they aren't the single source of your identity. If one of those things changes, you need to know that you're still enough. You still have value. God says that you're created, and you're chosen. He made you, and He doesn't make mistakes. You're adored. You're loved. He delights in you. And He's with you and wants to spend time with you. You're loved by the God of the universe. That's who you are.   Are You Struggling to Be Yourself? With Jamie Ivey I'm so excited because Jamie Ivey is joining us in the studio today to dive deeper into this topic of knowing who you really are. She also shares more about her brand-new book, You Be You. Here are a few topics from our conversation: Balancing contentment and ambition The secret to staying rooted in your identity Combatting comparison Living with purpose in seasons of waiting Redefining success in our lives   What God Wishes You Knew "Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) We're made in the image of God. We're a product of His creation. It's so easy to look at all of our flaws and failures, mistakes and missteps, and all the ways we've gotten it wrong and messed up. But there's also something really beautiful about the fact that God created us, and He doesn't make mistakes. I think about how many wonderful things I love about my kids, and how many things I want for them, and how proud I am of them. But for some reason, translating that to the God of the universe-that He could love me more than that-that's so hard to wrap my mind around. Take some time to answer these questions today: If you have children, how do you feel about them? If you don't have children, think about people in your life that you love so much. How do you feel about them? What do you hope they know about themselves? This is more of a challenge: I want you to take what you wrote down as an answer for your first and second questions, and I want you to write down every one of those statements as truth...

The Key to Knowing Who You Are: Getting Back to You Part 1   0:51 Do You Know Who God Is? 10:50 How to Better Understand Who God Is with Kristi McLelland 37:10 One Important Thing You Need to Know About God Resources Christy's New Devotional - Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to YouGet back to you with my brand-new devotional, Living True: 40 Days to Get Back to You, that will help you break through the busyness of life and build the confidence you need to embrace the person you want to be. Buy it now! https://bit.ly/3kpdKCk We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   It can be easy to get so caught up in the day-to-day busyness of our lives that we forget who we really are. Today, we're going to be talking about how to get back to you. Then, I get to sit down with my good friend (and amazing Bible teacher) Kristi McLelland. Kristi has impacted my life in more ways than I can count. I just know you'll love her. I want to end the show with a few questions to help you get to know God even better.   Do You Know Who God Is? It's so easy to get wrapped up in the busyness of life, isn't it? You change the diapers, get the snacks, prep the lunches, and try to make it to the meetings. Then one day you stop, look up, and realize you've lost your spark or the thing that makes you you. If you want to get back to you, you need to know four things: Who God is Who you are Where you are Where you're going If you know these four things, and if you can reset and refocus, you can get back to you and the truth of who you are and who you were created to be. When you try to figure out who you are without having an accurate picture of God, it's like looking in a blurry mirror-you can't see yourself, and you can't see what you're doing now. You can never get back to you until you understand the one who created you.   How to Better Understand Who God Is with Kristi McLelland Y'all, I'm so excited about today's interview with Kristi McLelland. Kristi is a brilliant Bible teacher and loves to serve as the bridge between the Western world and the lands of the Bible. Kristi and I dive into the topic of who God is. We talk about: Asking yourself a specific question every time you read the Bible Posturing yourself to receive Believing that God is a Father who runs after you Meeting God in desert places   One Important Thing You Need to Know About God "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV) This verse is such an amazing reminder that God isn't this distant, critical, unkind God in heaven. He's a dad. He's your dad. He loves you like a father loves a child. And regardless of what your relationship is like with your earthly father, your father in heaven is so far beyond anything you could ever imagine. I want you to sit with these questions as you journal and pray about this and consider what it means for you: What's your relationship like with your earthly father? How has that helped or hindered your relationship with your Heavenly Father? What does God tell you about himself in His Word?

How to Start Your Personal Growth   0:49 Why It's Okay to Be Bad at Something 10:37 The Best Thing to Invest In 18:37 Are You Growing? Resources Business Boutique ConferenceThe Business Boutique Conference is right around the corner. Get your in-person or livestream ticket before it's too late! https://bit.ly/37037Cj We want to hear your feedback about The Christy Wright Show! Email us at hello@christywright.com to let us know what you think of the show.   What keeps you from investing in yourself? What keeps you from growing? All of us have challenges in our lives. But if we don't understand how to overcome these challenges, we're never going to grow. Today, we're talking about how to grow as a person and a leader. Then, I'm going to unpack an article on why you should invest in yourself. And finally, we'll spend some time journaling about the areas in your life you need to grow.   Why It's Okay to Be Bad at Something In order to grow, we have to get outside of our comfort zones. We have to be willing to invest in ourselves and learn something brand new. One of my favorite ways to grow and become better is by surrounding myself with people who are better at things than I am. I love to seek out people who are really good in certain areas of their lives that I want to be good at and ask them to hang out. Yes, it's humbling-but that's where growth happens. If you want to be better in any area of your life, you've got to be willing to be the small fish in the big pond. You've got to be willing to get outside your box and your comfort zone and invest in yourself to learn something new.   The Best Thing to Invest In I want to spend a few minutes unpacking an article I saw recently on Forbes.com called Why You Should Invest in Yourself by Amy Modglin. This article is a great reminder that the things we struggle with are actually really common to most of us. But if we don't understand how to overcome these challenges and barriers, we're never actually going to grow. In the article, Amy shared about a lack of confidence she had and the fear that kept her from investing in herself. She said that all changed when her friend and mentor, John Maxwell, said, "Growth doesn't just happen." Amy's biggest barrier was being afraid she wasn't worth it. She wasn't investing in herself. The same thing is true for you and me. You're not going to get to somewhere new by doing the same thing you're doing today. You have to do something different. You have to invest in yourself. Remember: You get to have a say in who you become, but you've got to do something about it. You can't just sit on the sidelines. You have to take the reins. You have to get in the game. You have to read a book, get a coach, go to a conference. You have to do something. You are worth it.   Are You Growing? Today, I want you to spend some time reading Ephesians 4:1-16. This passage is saying just grow to grow. Not to be better than others. Not to be impressive. Grow so that you're not tossed back and forth. Grow so that you have a solid foundation. Grow to become more and more like the God who created you. Grow to become more like Christ. I want to give you a few questions to consider as you journal, as you pray about this, and as you think about what this means for you in your faith walk. How do you grow? How have you matured in the last year? How are you growing in love?